“How about you do good by me all the time…”
The pot has been stirred. The plot thickens. The assembled have set the stage. It was some time ago now when the URL Universe introduced me to Eazy the Block Captain and almost immediately the purview formed was “Eazy does Battle Rap the correct way.” Who knew the ripples of the tide would lead to the realities of today. Well, Eazy did. The strategic craftsman who foretold his own destiny performance after performance were we listening enough? Maybe not, but in retrospect, man, the bread crumbs were in plain sight all along. Or for you fellow Marvel consumers= easter eggs. That said let’s draw some parallels here…
The Classical Villain Arc
THE MONSTER THE MACHINE BUILT
This was inevitable.
A tale as old as time.
"I talk different."
Eazy the Block Captain's steady calculus for one’s opportunity board that revolves around the URL Universe is exactly the metamorphosis the builder refused. So it is no coincidence then that the inflection point where stepping outside of the conventions of the the status quo for Eazy was what ultimately lead to his now infamous climatic tipping of the scale moment- discovery of time. What it is and what it is not. "I didn’t owe no money, just time". Quite the quotable perhaps when considering that existing within the margins of compliance and complicity may have never produced the curiosity of Eazy’s intuition to cross into unfamiliar reality (or alternate time) where Eazy the businessman crosses paths with his future self. Who did he see I prose? Maybe a shelf life variant burnt out from the after-effects of sheer performance volume with little to show for it by his own estimation? Perhaps a suppressed brand portfolio binding to the wind of whatever which way the URL flag plants itself next? Or even simply a lackluster version of himself as measured by only himself, entrapped within a web of service that too often turns predator to prey. Either way the concept of challenging time became Eazy’s ‘venture off of the path’ point within the URL Universe we'd come to know of his growing legend. And what awaited on the other side? Well, Him.
Right, wrong, or indifferent maturing is realizing Ultron wasn't wrong. He just wasn't Vision. Yet the symbiotic balance in logic separating the two theoretically could bring forth a similar diatribe in the present day reality of Eazy the venture capitalist across from Eazy the noble deen. The oxy of pious dwelling amongst the abyss of perverse. Often, a hypocrite emerges from those shallow waters. A possibility Eazy seems to grasp well and thus wisely open the discourse for consumption of each move across the board as a means of incorporating entities outside of himself in order to maintain prospective. Though the swarming of the market Eazy has been able to successfully capture during his 2023 campaign has uniquely served as referendum for all in observance. Votes have been cast amongst a wide net in regards to Eazy’s approval rating yet you get the sense the man himself seeks to levy power and influence toward a much wider spectrum…
Rage against the machine comes in many forms. Even in the variety of an all-in-one embodiment most often. Could it be that Eazy the Rapper spawned Eazy the promoter spawned Eazy the YouTube content creator spawned Eazy the league owner antagonist now pitted across from the fate of these dualities turned toward the recognition of a common enemy? Well if so, are you even sure which is which between good/bad or right/wrong when critiquing Eazy’s riff with the URL entity? A looming question now is, what truly awaits the Block Captain and which outcome can he foresee for himself? Sidenote- you know, I wonder if there is anyone out there who correlates this with that? This being ‘time’ and that being who all may apply to the concept of contractual stalemate essentially waiting out the duration of its fixed principles. B Dot/Daylyt/K Shine? = Mickey Factz/litigation/mutual public defamation? The gamut of it all seems unnerving from the outside looking in though I contend to have always understood the task goal of the URL Universe. Because so, the board does not appear so monopolized after all but rather deflecting. Ironically it may be that very misdirecting sleight of hand that shines a reflection upon the grey area muggy enough to dissuade most from curiosity. In plain terms, the obvious is that punitive demands even when agreed upon that are designed around the manipulation of time to undermine others will always be pushed back upon. And let's not get too hung up on Marvel analogies like Avengers and Thanos and instead look to more tangible examples like Joe Budden’s perpetual resistance to industrious acquiescence or lucrative NFL contracts in their general nature. Case in point, how many times in an NFL off-season do players/organizations/agents seek to reexamine the terms and conditions of a contract? If you are talking or listening to the contract rhetoric portion of the Eazy incursion I would imagine the most critical stipulation to decipher therein would be a clear distinction for what the duration of time established has in store for the artist while in a performer contracted agreement. A promise to perform without a promise of a stage could be deemed hazardous to the small percentile of artists who outperform the terms originally set. And to be void of the ability to come back to the table renegotiate and revise well, seems punitive. Imagine someone telling Aaron Donald he had no right to alter and adjust his original contractual terms as he continued to be the best at his position year in and year out for an extended period of time. Nah. Or how the players association of the NBA adopted the shorter term contractual model for its modern era on behalf of the players which would allow them to test the market sooner than later should said player see a market demand increase for services based upon gradual improvement in numbers, accolades, and stature from the first agreement (ex: Jaylen Brown). So maybe it was the lack of optionality and inability to reason on rigid terms stuck in time that ultimately set fire to the wind for Eazy the Block Captain. Or worse, burgeoning creative processes sullied by the defeating tone of procedure that comes with the realization that making great art is but a fraction of the toll paid for creative license found therein a standard industry contract given to many artists. Did Mase ever get that figured out?...
In summation,
Who is Eazy the Block Captain at the end of all this? He who remains? A conqueror of many tricks of the trade in navigation of his lone route to stapled stardom? Or, is Eazy merely the martyred means to an end for all those who dare enter into the field of legalities and what is 'fair' and 'reasonable' and what is not in the language of work for hire? Time will tell. Though, big picture the much deeper issue still looms large for the Battle arena at the surface of it’s steam...
Battle Rap still has no structural meaning as is, therefore it as a whole will be bound by hypocrisy as a result. For example, Eric Beasley says that what the URL offers is a sport. Even promotes it as such. P (URL Staff) says it is not. So which is it? Extracting purpose from the art appears to be morphing into a laborious task for all parties involved and it is the consumer whom is left to discern what to make of it. No sport does that. Yet in Battle Rap there are battle rosters but no schedule. Tiers but no ranking system. Perceived stature but no P4P (pound for pound) way to determine mandatories. And of course no W-L mechanism in place. Which all leads back to the root causal concern- aside from monetary gain and/or gainful employment what really matters now? The nostalgic Era has come and gone. Innovation is required. The art itself has certainly conformed to its own redundancy and therefore so has the promotional nuance for the 'sport'. Case in point, a part of keeping up with a sport throughout the course of a calendar year or season is having access to tangible formatting to work with in the first place. You could look ahead to Week 11 in Week 1 of the NFL because you know what's to come. You could keep up with the win-loss column of the NBA to ensure your fanatical hopes that your team is still in the race for the Top 8. And, the best fights in boxing are produced from a system designed to thin out the field and build up the biggest matches based on wins. Mandatories are key to this equation one way or another (boxing fans just groaned). But what does the URL or any battle league for that matter presently offer to its consumer base as a way of tracking each great feat? Certainly a fan vote metric cannot be the weighted idea of accomplishing this dire need, with all due respect. So by proxy the flux of ill structure continues to be the flux which then allows the oar of consumer interest to sway away from the artist landscape entirely and fixate itself more towards mediums of talking head persuasions as opposed to the 'sport' itself. The Stephen A Smith effect if you will. A pariah of circumstance more akin to NBA Twitter than BRC progress. The solution to it All will be found in this equation. As time brings us back full-circle we see that the underlying issues puzzling the Battle Rap platform as an entire entity still behoove its progenitors to solve. And for every step taken short of that is a step taken on the same plane with a different trajectory- Q: was it surprising to anyone the public support Eazy received for his efforts to produce a sanctioned event even at the expense of a corporate giant's stronghold on the pool of talent? Rage against the machine will always be a very popular yet taboo thing however I do ponder which identity or variant Eazy will end up coinciding with the most? Or most accurate. The rebellious defiant who took the blueprint and made his own design or is Eazy actually the front facing mirage for a more epic duel to come (Chrome 23 v. URL for ethical supremacy) ?
Speaking of…
The age old question= which came first, the chicken or the egg? Is it the brand name of URL or is it the artist themselves that makes the engine go? And hypothetically, if Chrome 23s intent were to commandeer both the talent and prestige of the market by wooing artists all over the timeline with similar vices but with more contractual pliability and perceived morality; well wouldn't we have our answer? If we are all hearing Eazy correctly the man often cites principles, integrity, freedom, and financial uptick. So does all of this only apply to him or does it apply to the field entirely? And does it persuade the idea that his new battle home Chrome 23 will provide those qualities and that the URL does not? Questions upon questions. No matter opinions shaped we’d all be best served to exercise neutrality and show discernment toward both sides. But, we know that won’t happen so- whichever way you sway the scene is set. The lines are drawn. By Eazy’s own admission. And the only question left is- can the frontline of the URL defeat Eazy the Conqueror or is it written that He who remains changes the game forever? I guess we all must stay tuned. Though I'd much prefer to be able to watch this sport figure itself out and take that leap into its evolutionary arc but that is here nor there at this point. That’s my time. Salute.
P. ess
The irony of Eazy and Tay Roc. Each others antithesis and yet if you were to exchange the two balance within the sport would probably be more prevalent with Roc as the staple of Battle Rap funneling into new territories armed with the pedigree of a historic career backing new ventures to bring more social credit to the BRC at large. And Eazy, the company man with a mindset of leadership at the top that demonstrates LeBron James level masterclass of extracting leverage from ownership toward mutual gain. You know the model- I get paid, you get paid, we win, and I get all the credit in the now but over time history will serve you well. Perhaps this approach wouldn't be such a bad idea for the URL brand to adopt going forward considering its entrenched mark on the art at this point as the forefront. Playing the shadows has worked quite well for powerful entities of this country. Which considering the optics, it isn’t so farfetched to suggest that the art may be losing its feel and thus the product losing incremental value in a way. Therefore fundamental alterations is something you gotta deal with. For example, I think it has mostly flown under the radar how in poor taste it must've been for many from the outside looking in to see the BRC boo one of it's legendary pioneers for rapping good in front of Aubrey Graham and his distinguished audience. Seems Battle Rap has trouble avoiding the entrapment of losing its authentic appeal when given the litmus test to quantify its growth. Doesn’t get more that than Loaded so perhaps the audience missed the assignment however the URL entity has also done a retroactively poor job revering its pillars publicly and there's just no getting around that. It would behoove itself as the foundation of it all to follow through and make right of its lack of Hall of Fame inductees and gold jackets in the year 2023. This does not sell the sport well in all honesty. Especially when considering a defining moment like Tay Rocs 50th bout will now set an expectation that probably doesn't meet the intended mark. Fair or not…